Unit Plans

French: Dans une île

Unit overview

Students in my Grade 5 and Grade 5/6 class studied the theme "Dans une île". The unit emphasized a communicative approach to learning where students were actively engaged in a variety of activities. Students participated in a variety of exercises ranging from singing and listening to group and partner work. As a final project, students created their own island map, wrote a short paragraph following the provided template, and presented their island to the class.

Social Studies: History of Vancouver

Unit overview

Students studied the History of Vancouver and their personal history through a unit based on the Roedde House Museum curriculum guide. The unit was divided into three sections, each emphasizing a different aspect of history. Students created family trees, discussed family treasures and wrote letters to their grandparents to learn more about their past. The section concluded with an exciting visit and from one of the grandparents.

The unit continued with a section called "Learning from Objects" where they were able to observe common household items from the turn of the century and discover their uses through a variety of hands-on activities.

Students concluded the unit with a timeline project where they researched a decade in Vancouver's history. During the unit we were fortunate to be able to visit the Vancouver Museum and Roedde House Museum where they participated in several engaging activities.

Novel Study: White Jade Tiger

Unit overview

Students studied the novel "White Jade Tiger" by Julie Lawson this term. The story is set in Victoria present and along the CPR railway in 1882. Jasmine travels back in time to help Keung find his father who disappeared along the railway with the white jade tiger amulet. Through a variety of activities, students followed Jasmine and Keung's journey from Victoria to Yale. The students discussed the discrimination and working conditions that the Chinese workers faced during the construction of the railway.

Lesson Plans [back to top]

French: Exploring a Tropical Island

Social Studies: Critical Thinking Challenge - Preparing for a Grandparent visit

Novel Study: Week Plan for Novel Study activities

Art: Andy Warhol Endangered Species

Math: Fractions and Mixed Numbers

Science: Learning about Friction

Student Work [back to top]

French
Dans une île

Students wrote a postcard to a friend describing what features and animals they found when travelling on the island.

Students created their own island map as a final project for the unit. They included features that had been studied, added in their own, wrote a short paragraph and presented their island to the class. It was evaluated based on the following criteria sheet; students self-assessed their work before handing it in.

Social Studies

As part of our unit, students found out about family treasures that belong to their family. They created a poster, wrote a paragraph and did a gallery walk to find out about the other students' family treasures.

Science

Students faced a building challenge when they had to build a 75 cm tower that could stand up to wind force. They were only allowed to use 50 straws and 1 m of masking tape.

Field Trips

We went to the Vancouver Museum to learn more about school at the turn of the century and the Vancouver Fire. Students had a chance to do an archaeology dig to find artifacts that may have been lost during the fire.

We went on a field trip to Roedde House Museum as part of our History of Vancouver unit. Students drew the house, toured the museum and went on a neighbourhood walk around Barclay Square.

At Deer Lake Park we hiked during the morning, and canoed during the afternoon. The students had a great time!